A PLANET with the Name of HOPE
by JunAegileus777
Summary: Sonic is an orphaned Earthling who's lost everything he had on Earth due to an interplanetary war. But when he stumbles upon a hidden Orbital Frame while fleeing from BAHRAM, he figures out it's the source of the needless destruction. Lives will be lost on both sides, and furies will flare once the people closest to one's heart are taken. "I swear I'll kill you!"
1. Antilia Incident Part 1

A PLANET with the Name of HOPE

"I looked high to the lamps of artificial light that cross-hatched the sky…

"What's it like? To be in outer space…to live in a space colony?

"Well, I found out the hard way.

"I was one of the millions of children taken from Earth by GUN's Space Force to live in this titanic of the cosmos…called Antilia…

"This is home, now."

The Antilia Incident… 2172 A.D. …_Part One_

Sonic stood out in the middle of a broad walkway, staring up at the eternity that was the universe. Antilia was a residential space colony originally constructed on Jupiter's moon, Europa L5, as a support base for the excavation of Jupiter's resources, but by orders of GUNSF, or GUN Space Force, it was remodeled to house Earth civilians and other interplanetary foreigners.

Sonic was one of those Earthling children that dated, ten years ago that very day, the Earth Incident--when BAHRAM, the anti-Earth Mars government, declared war against Earth; GUNSF ordered all Earthlings and Neo-Earthlings to hand their children and pregnant families over to the authorities, for they knew they were losing the battle. The valiant souls left on Earth were soldiers that fought as the war raged over the planet and evolved into an invasion of destruction and death…

Sonic's memory flashed back to seeing his mother's tearful, frightful eyes. He blinked, and the memory faded. He sighed.

"Sonic!" a shrill, girlish voice cried out his name.

Sonic's eyes veered from the artificial sky over to a girl about three years his junior running towards him. She threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly.

"Oh, Sonic, I was searching all of Antilia for you! You don't know how worried you've made me!"

"Amy, can't I get a little peace to myself?" Sonic wondered hopelessly.

"Amy, Mr. Sonic just wanted to be by himself for a little while," another small girl's voice called out to Amy. She came up the nearby stairway with a fox boy, hand in hand.

"Yeah, Amy, Sonic just wanted some alone time," the fox boy added. He smiled awkwardly.

Amy felt ganged up on, but she respected the two of them because they were young…

"Okay, Cream and Tails, you got me…but I can't live without seeing him at least once every fifteen minutes! I hadn't seen him all day!"

…and because they were born after the Earth Incident, making them oblivious to its existence for the time being: Cream was the result of a distressed childbirth, for her mother was distraught about the incident and losing her husband during the invasion. Stress bombarded her and she died after bequeathing Cream her name; Tails was another orphaned child, with intellect far superior than most teenagers older than Sonic's sixteen. He also lost his mother to death by childbirth, and found something he had in common with Cream. The two of them really liked each other, and vowed to keep each other safe.

"Amy, get a hold of yourself!" Sonic said then, trying to get Amy off him. He strained to pull himself free…

…before the alarms began to blare all over the colony.

Sonic and Amy looked up into their artificial sky, while the children held each other close, looking around in fear. Their eyes widened.

BAHRAM. Their Orbital Frames were closing in on the colony fast, with the colony defenseless.

"Oh no… Not them again." Sonic muttered horridly. He could clearly remember the sight of the invasion being somehow televised on a surveillance monitor when he was younger. He recalled the horror and the bloodshed…

"Oh, Sonic, what're we going to do?" Amy cried.

_We have to evacuate…_ Sonic thought automatically.

The Orbital Frames flew over their heads as they ducked down, and started firing down at the civilian blocks.

"They've gotten through the LEV forces and the Space Port!" Tails cried, motioning Cream to get behind him.

"Sonic!" a strange voice cried out.

Sonic sharply turned his head towards the stranger's voice and saw that it wasn't a stranger after all. A red echidna in the distance waved over to him.

"Knuckles!" the children cried out thankfully.

"This way!" he cried out to them to follow him. "Hurry!"

And they did, in consecutive timing. The four of them ran for cover as the BAHRAM forces made their way explosively inside the colony.

"How did you find us?" Sonic asked as they ran.

"Hah, instinct told me…" Knuckles responded, "not to mention Amy's high-pitched squeal."

Amy's cheek bubbled.

"What's going on? Why is BAHRAM attacking us now?"

"I heard that there was an Orbital Frame taking refuge here, ordered by the GUNSF officials, until a new Arctic base was finished being built. And now BAHRAM's on some kind of rampage to find it."

"How do you know all of this?"

There was a slight pause before his response. "I'm slightly interested in the military and government, okay?"

...(ADA)...

BAHRAM forces fired more of their lasers down at helpless civilian colony blocks.

Knuckles led the four of them to a hangar-like building and told them to hide inside. "Quick! In here!" he ordered.

Inside, there was a grayish-blue and beige mech. It didn't seem fairly old, and it looked to be quite powerful. Next to it was a fighter jet mech of beige color, as well as strange shape.

"Knuckles…" Sonic waited for a reply from him.

"I think those are the new Orbital Frame and LEV that I overheard Commander Blaze talking about protecting… The Orbital Frame is what the Mars government's after."

There was a loud explosion heard in the background. Cream instantly clung to Tails and shivered nervously.

"Quick, what do you think we should do, Knuckles?" Tails asked, anxiousness on the tip of his tongue.

Knuckles paused in thought. "Sonic, Tails…you two take the Orbital Frame and LEV." His face became stern. "I will protect the girls."

Sonic nodded.

Then a crashing sound rumbled through the hangar.

...(ADA)...

Surveying above the destruction was an orange-pink iridescent feminine-looking Orbital Frame. Inside its cockpit, a woman snickered.

"Destroy them all," she commanded all of her squadrons of Raptor, Mummyhead, and Cyclops Orbital Frames…

...(ADA)...

Sonic and Tails climbed into each of the cockpits of the Orbital Frame and LEV respectively. Knuckles and the girls watched them carefully.

Sonic looked confusedly at the controls and blinked nervously. "How do I operate this thing?"

"You can start by finding the COM link," Tails' voice emanated within the cockpit. His face appeared on a visual monitor on the console. The boy waved. "Hey!"

Sonic did so, placing it on his ear. "Okay, Tails, do you copy?"

"I read ya loud and clear!"

"All right! It's hero time!--"

Another crashing sound could be heard and felt. Unfortunately, this one put the others in danger: Rafters from above came tumbling down. Knuckles prepared himself, getting the girls away from him. He caught one of the impending bracers.

"Amy…" he started, "it was a bad idea to keep you and Cream with me. Go…and take her to a safe place."

Amy obeyed and made her nimble escape with Cream struggling behind her.

"Knuckles!" cried Sonic and Tails.

"Don't worry, Knux! I'll help you!" Sonic insisted, but then hesitated. The controls looked so complex, he started to panic. "Oh no, what do I do?"

Tails was already ahead and maneuvering his mech to reach out for the fallen rafter, but he couldn't reach far enough.

"Quick, Sonic! Maneuver your arms so that you can reach out! You're closer to him than I am!"

"I can't! It won't move!" The controllers for the arms were indeed immobile. He tried them over and over again, but--"They just won't budge!" _No… No…!_

Knuckles strained to hold up the rafters that were steadily piling up. He fell to one knee. "Sonic…Tails…I'm sorry…and I love you guys…" One more dangling rafter fell upon him…crushing him.

"Knuckles, no!" The two pilots screamed together.

…Blood pooled from under the pile of weighty metal. It was captured by Sonic and Tails' visual monitors.

Tears climbed into Tails' eyes, as the boy cried silently. Sonic was paralyzed with shock.

...(ADA)...

Amy and Cream were outside of the hangar when the loud crash was heard. They instantly turned around to look back. Then they looked to each other.

"Should we go back?" Amy asked Cream.

"I've got a bad feeling in my tummy telling me that we shouldn't…and Knuckles said to find a safe place." Cream fearfully responded.

"There are no more safe places! C'mon, we've gotta go back! And don't worry…" She held tight to Cream's hand and they proceeded running back to the hangar. "I'll protect you, just like Knuckles protected us!"

The girls made it back to see the hangar completely wrecked. Inside, the bracers that held the ceiling were now on the floor, and the two boys hadn't moved an inch after seeing Knuckles get crushed.

"Tails! Sonic!" Amy called out to the boys.

Tails looked up from his tears and gasped. "Cream… Amy, what're you and Cream doing back here? Knuckles told you two to find a place to hide!"

"There aren't any more safe places to hide!" Amy yelled back. "And because I just realize something: I'm Sonic's girlfriend! Why would I leave his side just to be safe?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Because it was an order, and because you have a minor with you!" Sonic yelled out his reply. "Nevermind! Just get over here, and be careful!"

Amy and Cream nimbly crossed through the wreckage. They spotted the place where Knuckles was crushed, nearly stepping in his blood.

They ascended a staircase that led them to the cockpits, Amy heading towards Sonic's, naturally, and Cream heading for Tails'. Their hinged cockpit doors flew up. Cream and Amy entered the cockpits and sat on the only seats left: Sonic and Tails' laps. The hinged doors were closing before a huge shadow loomed over them: A giant Raptor Frame was preparing to slice its energy-rapiers through the building…

"What are your commands, Chosen Runners?" a mechanized humanoid voice belled out harmoniously with another.

…The energy blades struck through the remains of the ceiling, slicing it away.

Tails, Sonic, and the girls braced themselves as the remainder of the ceiling came crashing down.

Afterwards, Tails blinked. "Huh?" He looked to Cream as if wondering if she said anything. She caught his eyes staring at her, read them, and shook her head.

Amy looked around the cockpit for the source of the voice. Sonic looked down at the console. He blinked. "Commander…Blaze…?"

"Incorrect. I am ADA," Sonic's console spoke, "the advanced battle AI of Jehuty."

Sonic blinked. "Who or what's Jehuty?" He looked at Amy, who shrugged her shoulders.

"And I'm AVA of the V2-Vic Viper!" The voice in Tails' cockpit sounded girlish while Sonic's sounded more stern and womanlike. "We're here to help you!"

"Then why didn't you help us earlier?" Sonic yelled, "We could've saved our friend's life!"

"Sonic…" Amy held closer to Sonic. She didn't like it when Sonic yelled.

"We were not programmed to awaken at that time, so we could not assist you." ADA replied.

"It did feel like I was moving in my sleep," AVA added wonderingly.

"Eh-heh… That was me," Tails admitted.

"Oh… Sensors indicate multiple enemy sightings--including those!"

The Raptor Frame had retreated to signal other Orbital Frames to the hangar…

...(ADA)...

The woman smirked. "Anubis, I think they found it…"

The Runner codenamed "Anubis" smirked as well…

...(ADA)...

Sonic sighed. "Quick, ADA, how do I work this…Jehuty-thing?"

"Engage the left and right stabilizers," ADA instructed a little indirectly.

"How do I do that?"

"The activation keys are located under your fingers."

"Oh, like this?" Sonic curled his fingers tighter on the two glowing green orbs. A bright flash emanated from them before returning to their natural light. Sonic blinked. "Cool!"

"I see my Runner already has the hang of this!" AVA exclaimed happily.

"Uh, excuse me, AVA," Tails shyly spoke up. There was another crashing sound; the sound of more BAHRAM Frames landing… After having braced himself and Cream, he went on. "But how do we get rid of them?"

"Oh, to get rid of those nasty buggers, just have your friend use his Geyser missiles to stun them!"

Tails blinked.

"I heard her, Tails!" Sonic reassured the fox boy. Sonic looked down at his control panel. "ADA?"

"Select which weapon you wish to utilize by pressing this green button." She flashed it so Sonic could find it. Sonic did so, and a screen displayed only three types of weaponry he could use. He selected the Geyser missiles.

"All right, whatever-you-are--"

"Visuals identify the enemy to be a Cyclops Orbital Frame of Mars origin."

Sonic's eyes blanked. "Uh, Cyclops Frame…" He readied Jehuty's arm, leveling it to aim towards the incoming Cyclops. "Prepare to be beaten…"

Sonic fired the Geysers with full intent, and paralyzed the Cyclops and--

"The Raptors nearby have also been immobilized," ADA announced.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Sonic happily exclaimed. "Now, let's get outta here!"

"Oh, Sonic, my hero!" Amy gleefully said.

Tails and Sonic maneuvered their mecha out of the hangar. They floated there, taking in the destruction.

"No way… This can't be…" Sonic muttered.

Suddenly, his impulse took control and he boosted into the air. There, he surveyed the area and its current condition. His eyes widened at the sight of blazes and bloodshed all over the place. Amy's eyes began to tear up as she also took in the sight.

"Our home… The only place we had left in the entire universe to call 'home'…destroyed." Amy spoke dismally.

"I refuse to give up," Sonic said softly. He gritted his teeth.

Amy looked to him with tears still falling from her eyes.

"I'll save the people that are left… ADA, what's the status of the colony?"

"There is a percentage of a three point nine survival rate throughout Residential Block S02. It is most logical to assume that the inhabitants were evacuated soon before the tirade began--"

"But it was so sudden, and once everyone started to evacuate, they started to attack! But basically all you're saying is that everyone is dead?"

There was no consecutive reply from ADA.

Amy looked worriedly to Sonic, then to ADA.

"The most logical reasoning is telling me to respond 'yes'." ADA replied after the long pause.

Amy gasped, her hands fleeing to cover her mouth. "Mommy…Daddy…no…"

"At least you had parents, Amy…" Sonic lowly muttered.

Amy's ears flattened against her head as she looked downward. "I know… I'm sorry, Sonic. I…well…"

"There's no need to be sorry, Amy. All you need to know is that…I will protect you."

Amy smiled, tears still flowing from her eyes.

...(ADA)...

Jehuty flew over the colony blocks as they were being destroyed. Spheres of fiery doom could be seen from their altitude. Amy looked at the discomforting sight.

"Isn't there anything we can do, Sonic?" Amy wondered.

Sonic scanned over the area and spotted an unharmed cathedral a little ways ahead below him. His brows furrowed. "If there was any place of immediate refuge, it'd have to be the church. Let's see if anyone is down there."

Jehuty landed in front of the church. The cockpit opened and Amy hopped out, landing on her feet. She made a dash for the church doors. They flew open at her command and saw that no one was there…except for…

"Mommy! Daddy!"

She ran towards them with open arms…but then there was a loud crashing sound. She turned around…to have a bullet graze her cheek. Her pupils constricted at the sound of the gunshots. She ducked down and held her cheek. She looked back to see her father falling to the floor, leaving her mother trembling in fear. "Daddy!" she screamed.

The gunman snickered…and fired another shot. Firing at her mother's head…

"Mommy!" Amy cried. She gasped as she suddenly felt a cold ring against her head.

"Don't say anything more," the gunman whispered deviously.

...(ADA)...

Sonic held his head, finding that Jehuty was now on the ground. He looked around and saw that nothing was there…until--

"C'mon, entertain me, boy!" a woman's voice commanded belligerently over the airwaves. "Race you to your helpless little friends!" she sneered.

"No!" Sonic yelled.

Then she--the orange-rose Orbital Frame--vanished…

"Damn!"

"Incoming transmission. I shall patch it through," ADA announced.

On the visual monitor appeared Tails and Cream's faces. Tails seemed to looked panicked. "Sonic, get back over here! There's an enemy Frame within perimeter of me! Help me!"

"Help us, please!" little Cream cried.

"I can't see it on my monitor--"

The transmission was cut.

Sonic panicked. "Tails! Cream!" Jehuty started to rise. Sonic looked back at the church, and furrowed his brows again. _She should be safe there. I'll return for you, Amy… _He started up the boosters and jetted off to the source of Tails' SOS.

...(ADA)...

"No, stop it! No, no, no! Please, I don't want this! Please stop!" Amy screamed helplessly. "Sonic, help me!"

Her parents lay bleeding on the floor as their daughter was being asaulted.

The gunman then halted and gripped her hair tightly and dragged her towards her parents' corpses. He threw her down and aimed his gun at her.

"You're an Earthling child, aren't you?" the gunman's tenor voice hummed provokingly.

Tears flooded from Amy's eyes. "Y--Yes…" _He said he would protect me…_

"Well, well… You're going to wish you had never been born." He aimed for her head…

Another gunshot.

...(ADA)...

Sonic was close to where Tails and Cream were. He looked around for them, only to be greeted by a blast from a halberd laser. It missed him, but its resulting blast blew him back, causing his to land in the ruins that was the hangar.

"What the…?" Sonic looked up to see the orange-rose Orbital Frame again. Jehuty quickly stood up. "Who are you?"

An image of the female pilot was displayed on Sonic's monitor by ADA, showing him a white-haired bat woman.

"I am BAHRAM's First Lt. Commander, Rouge, and Orbital Frame, Nephtis. And you must be the unscheduled Runner my General Anubis has, somehow, known about."

"So, you're the one who orchestrated all of this!" Sonic shouted to her angrily.

"Yes, but I wasn't alone…" She snickered seductively.

"Where're Tails and Cream?"

"We're here, Sonic!" Tails cried fearfully. The visual and audio were spaced with static. "We're hidden! The Vic Viper has transformed into a fighter jet and AVA is trying to recuperate. She's really strong, Sonic… Please, be careful."

"I will admit, the kid's not that bad of a fighter." Rouge snickered seductively again.

"Damn you! What's your plan? What are you trying to do? What do you want?" Sonic interrogated her.

"All we want is that Frame," Rouge responded calmly, pointing at Jehuty. "Its potential is a great need of ours, and will be of great use. It will be a burden lessened from your shoulders, right?… Hand over Jehuty, or else…you will be killed just like your precious colony civilians."

A swarm of Raptors, Mummyheads, and Cyclops teemed around them.

Sonic readied himself…

"Rouge!" Anubis' voice pierced through her ear. "Don't you let them lay one finger on Jehuty. He is mine, understand?"

"Sir…" Rouge conceded. "…Huh?"

"You bitch! You'll pay dearly for what you've done!"

Sonic was on the offensive and headed straight for her. He abruptly halted, blade at Nephtis' throat. "Where is he? Where is Anubis? Is he the one who's conducted all of this destruction?"

"Why, yes, he is. And…like I'd tell you. You'll just have to find him yourself." She cackled and made a slice outwards, but missed.

"Rouge! Not _one _scratch…"

Rouge growled. "It's just a kid inside it! I can take care of him in no time flat!--"

"Yes, but Jehuty is mine for the taking. I don't want any bodily harm done to it…yet." Anubis huffed in aggravation of having to repeat his plans to Rouge over and over again.

"He's not a kid, you witch!" Tails yelled out, jetting towards her with Vic Viper. "Transform, now!" Thus did the Vic Viper, within succinct timing to kick her aside, sending her flying.

"Tails, are you all right?" Sonic said. "You and Cream?"

"Yeah. But she's coming back--"

Nephtis vanished. Then reappeared behind Vic Viper, slashing away at him. Tails and Cream panicked.

"All systems read a sixty-seven percent damage report!" AVA sounded slightly panicked herself. "Are you two all right?"

Nephtis' onslaught ceased, vanishing again.

Tails breathed hard. "Yeah, we're okay…"

Cream looked to him with apprehension. Subtle tears made their way into her eyes.

Sonic became heated after witnessing the assault. He gritted his teeth and seethed. "You conniving bitch, attacking my little brother… You'll regret that!" He charged at her with full speed and intent, ready to attack…

Only for her to vanish again.

"Ergh! Where'd she go now? Stop fleeing!" Sonic yelled.

...(ADA)...

The gunman walked calmly out of the chapel, placing his pistol in its holster. He pressed the COM link hooked to his ear and waited.

"Rouge, come in. This is Shadow…"

He pulled out a trigger and pressed its red button…

...(ADA)...

An explosion caught Sonic's attention. He sharply turned around and observed the fiery blaze that came into his view. That was where…

"Amy!" he cried loudly.

His instinct cued the boosters and he blasted away towards the location.

Vic Viper turned to see Jehuty boost away. Tails and Cream watched him go. Tails' eyes watered a little bit. _I'll do the best I can here, Big Bro… I'll keep Cream safe…_

"Incoming transmission, Tails. Shall I patch it through?" AVA asked.

"In just a moment. I've gotta lose Nephtis first. Does Vic Viper have a cloaking device?"

"Sorry, but no…" AVA said sorrowfully.

"Darn… Maybe we can sneak away from her…" Tails looked to Cream for reassurance. There was a positive response for her: a smile. He smiled back at her.

He quietly ignited his boosters and glided away…

Nephtis caught him at the corner of her eye, but another transmission grabbed her attention as well.

"Rouge, come in. This is Shadow…" came the voice. "Rendezvous back with me at the chapel. You'll be able to find me."

"But--!"

"Forget the LEV! Just get over here…"

Rouge growled. She looked back towards Vic Viper silently flying away. She snarled disdainfully. "I'll be back for you, fox boy…"

She vanished…

...(ADA)...

Vic Viper stopped, hovering above the colony. Tails and Cream looked below them.

"Residential Block S02; that's where we lived. Right, Cream?"

Cream nodded, saying, "Right…" sadly in response.

"AVA, that last transmission, patch it through now."

A connection came through successfully. Tails' monitor showed a familiar face.

"Miss Blaze?" Tails cried out in surprise. Cream blinked a little.

"Yes, it's me, Tails," the cat woman reassured him over the airwaves. She smiled. "Listen to me, now, Tails. Knowing you, do you know how to get to the warehouse?"

"The one under the dam? Of course, but why?"

"Go find Sonic, because I already know he's in Jehuty, and bring him and Jehuty here to the Atlantis. It's a civilian carrier that needs to get Jehuty to Earth and locked up for good. We're midway into rebuilding a GUN military base for it somewhere in the Arctic Circle."

"How'd you know he was in Jehuty?"

"Knuckles radioed me while you guys were inside the cockpits. He was...one of our military trainees, you know. He had hopes of becoming a soldier… May he rest in peace."

"Yeah…"

"Cream's with you! Why don't you go ahead and bring her here, okay? I'll be waiting for you."

"Roger!"

Vic Viper transformed again, into fighter jet mode, and flew towards its destination.

...(ADA)...

Jehuty stood before the blaze that was the church. Sonic sat in the cockpit in shock and despair. He slammed his fists against the armrests. Tears climbed into his eyes.

"Amy…no…" Sonic whispered her name. "I shouldn't have left her alone! No…!"

Nephtis landed a little ways ahead of him, where Anubis stood, its mechanical arms crossed. Rouge and Shadow smirked in their cockpits.

"We've chosen not to kill you yet, kid," Shadow addressed his decision to Sonic.

Rouge sharply looked over to Shadow and grimaced.

Shadow saw this, and snickered, saying, "Easy, Rouge, you'll get your chance…but for now--"

"So you're Anubis, huh? Why are you doing this? Why are you senselessly killing everybody just for this…this Frame?" Sonic yelled.

"We have our reasons, boy. Now surrender that Frame or we'll just have to beat common sense into you," Shadow growled. "I'm sure Rouge here stated our reasons…"

Rouge nodded. "And I'm not as patient as I look, kid!"

Anubis threw an arm before Nephtis. Shadow smirked… Anubis vanished.

Sonic swapped his sights back and forth, vainly searching for Anubis. "Dammit, he can teleport, too? Where is he?"

Rouge snickered, smirking deviously…

"This is just a taste of what my Orbital Frame is capable of--!"

Anubis reappeared behind Jehuty, armed with his battle staff. Jehuty did not move… Sonic's eyes slowly looked around behind him, but before he realized it, Jehuty was soaring towards the Factory. He collided with one of its towers, debris and smoke billowing out. The tower collapsed, taking Jehuty under…

Anubis appeared again with Nephtis above the wreckage.

"Rendezvous with me to the Space Port later, Rouge. For now, I need you to monitor our forces' progress on destroying this colony--"

"We're destroying the colony?" Rouge asked a bit worriedly, having Nephtis look over to Anubis.

"Is something the matter with it?" Shadow had Anubis look over to her. He slightly grimaced.

Rouge looked down, her face hardening. She frowned. "No, sir… It just that Jehuty will--"

"--Be fine," Shadow finished with his own thought. "Even if Antilia was to explode this very second, Jehuty could tolerate it… I know Anubis can already."

Rouge blinked. She looked back down at her console… Her ears perked.

Anubis was already on course to the Space Port…

"Rouge," came Shadow's voice within Rouge's cockpit, "don't let your personal feelings get the best of you. Remember, I'm here for you…" The connection was lost.

Rouge smirked. "You jerk… I hate you, but I love you…" Nephtis took off to the sky, to another locale, but before she could…!

"HAAA-AAAAAHH!"

Jehuty struck out…with his blade connecting to Nephtis' torso. Inside, Sonic had blood going down his face, from his forehead, down the bridge of his nose to his right cheek. He huffed his breaths gruffly. "Bitch…"

Rouge looked up to see that Nephtis' abdomen had been struck. She panicked…but relaxed. "Shadow, I'm sorry…but I guess we'll never be like we've planned… My primary focus was to please you, and make you happy…but I failed even to do that. I'm so sorry, my love…"

Sonic paused, his mind going blank; He had heard her self-talk over the airwaves.

"Go on, boy… Kill me. Claim my life as your prize!"

"No, I won't! You…your military has gotten everything twisted over this Frame! There's no reason for me to kill you!"

"To avenge your friends…"--!

Sonic viciously removed Jehuty's blade from Nephtis' abdomen, leaving her to descend. Nephtis landed softly in a pile of wreckage, her body sparking and electrically surging. Jehuty landed a bit away from her and held his blade against her throat.

"Ya know, kid," Rouge started, "you'd make out to be a pretty good soldier for BAHRAM. Why don't you just come with us?"

"I'd _never_ join you!" Sonic insisted.

Rouge snickered. "I had a feeling…"

"Incoming transmission," ADA announced. "I shall patch it through."

_Bzzt_--"Sonic, this is the Vic Viper calling Jehuty! Are ya there?"

"Yeah, Tails…" Sonic replied. He had Jehuty remove his blade from Nephtis' throat. "I'm here. Where are you and Cream?"

...(ADA)...

Tails and Cream stood by a rather large purple male feline in a blue sweater, brown open vest, and dark-brown boots and gloves. The Vic Viper stood away from them.

"We're here at the Metatron Warehouse by the Dam in the mountainous area. We need you here now, because Miss Blaze wants to put Jehuty in safe keeping. We're here waiting for you."

...(ADA)...

"I'm on my way. Don't move!"

Jehuty hovered over Nephtis for a moment before rocketing away…

…leaving Nephtis to recover with the uncovered Metatron Ore she had found. Rouge snickered away, while Nephtis' gap in her torso was being replenished…


	2. Antilia Incident Part 2

"My friends…they're all dying…

"My home is being destroyed block by block.

"Thousands of people are being killed…and I've gotta do something! I can't just let them die in vain!

"I'm…really the only one who can save them now…"

The Antilia Incident… 2172 A.D. …_Part Two_

Jehuty sped high over Antilia towards where he could see the artificial mountain range. Sonic looked back and saw the fiery orbs speckling below him as he flew overhead. He sighed thoughtfully.

"Metatron Ore located in vicinity of Factory 3. Shall we go there and make some repairs?" ADA asked.

Sonic was out of it; He only stared down at the blazes below him. Only then did the question faded into his ears. "Huh? Oh…yeah."

Jehuty flew down towards the factory windmills.

Down below, the factory was free from attack, for that time. Sonic looked around for the Metatron and found it in a glass building. He found an entrance into it and allowed Jehuty to absorb its rejuvenating powers.

"We have obtained the Metatron Ore," ADA announced.

"All better, ADA?" Sonic asked.

"All systems repaired. Maintenance necessary to Jehuty's physical frame has been met."

"That's good." Sonic paused, blinking. "ADA?"

"Yes?"

"Why…is BAHRAM here? What business do they have with Jehuty?"

"An accurate reply cannot be computed as of this moment, but as we go along, I'm positive that we will find an answer to all of this."

"We'll do this together…" Sonic looked down at the console thoughtfully. He looked over to his right and found…

"ADA, what are those over there?"

"Those are local drivers. They hold programs for Jehuty, made by the manufacturers that created me. They usually hold weaponry programs--"

"Weapons? That's more of what we need, in order to fight _him_…" His memory went back to when Anubis knocked him aside, causing him to collide with the factory… "What weapons' programs are on these?" he asked as he approached the driver and uploaded its contents.

"Scanners indicate Wisp, Phalanx, Decoy, Mummy, and Comet. Shall I explain each of the weapons' functions?"

Sonic finished uploading the last driver's data. "No, that won't be necessary, ADA. I think I'll know when to use them…" Sonic stared up at the starry heavens in admiration. _Amy, you're among the stars now… _"Let's go, ADA…"

Jehuty's boosters ignited and took Sonic off into the air again.

_You will pay for what you're doing to my home, Anubis… You surely will!_

...(ADA)...

Tails and Cream waited with their feline guardian. While waiting, they made casual conversation and learned that his name was Big; Big Thunderheart.

"The colony is in big trouble, Mr. Thunderheart," Tails started. "Isn't there anything Sonic can do to stop this madness?"

Big scratched his chin. "Hmm… All I know is that we'll have to plan a strategy in order to make our escape. Your name is Miles Prower, right? You're the brilliant-minded kid, aren't ya? Then you can help us plan our way outta this mess!"

"Where is Miss Blaze?" Cream asked right after.

"She's with the Atlantis. She's head of the civilian transport, as well as one of the GUNSF Commanders; Second Lieutenant, to be exact. She'll be a real big help to all of us. She has been in the past…"

Cream smiled.

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Thunderheart?" Tails thought to ask.

"Well…uh--"

There was a startling crashing sound in the distance. Everyone turned their heads towards the source of the loudness. Quickly, Big got the children behind him. Away from Vic Viper was Nephtis…

Rouge snickered. "I've found you--"

"But you won't have the time to do battle with him." Anubis levitated past her. Their eyes met. "You have your orders, Rouge. Besides, you're with me… You wouldn't want me to watch you fight, now, would you?"

"Darling, don't be silly!" Rouge replied half-heartedly. _Of course I would… _

Shadow grimaced threateningly.

"Oh, _sir_, don't be silly. Just let me get him out of the way!" Rouge almost begged.

Shadow sighed. "Eliminate them quickly…"

"My pleasure!"

Nephtis blasted away down at the unmanned Vic Viper, badly damaging it.

"Oh no, AVA!" Tails cried. He covered his eyes from the flurry of grainy debris. Cream held close to him, holding tightly onto his jacket. Tails continued onwards to Vic Viper.

"No! Tails, wait!" Cream cried fearfully.

More laser shots were fired, but not from Nephtis…

"I'm ready for you this time, Nephtis!" It was Jehuty.

She looked back to see Jehuty just a little ways away from her. Rouge smiled deviously in the cockpit; Sonic frowned.

"Well done on finding us, kid…" Rouge congratulated Sonic playfully. "Now is the time for you to die!" She jetted out towards him, assault-ready.

While Nephtis and Jehuty were engaged in battle, Tails sat in the cockpit, with AVA recuperating.

"I need a maintenance crew to repair me properly, Tails," AVA told him.

"Don't worry, AVA!" Tails said then, "I'll try to fix you!"

"But you do not possess the necessary tools to fix Vic Viper, Tails. I'm sorry…"

"Hey!" Big cried out, waving his arms, with Cream at his back. "Let me help!"

"Mr. Thunderheart… Okay!" Tails lifted the cockpit hatch and hopped out of it. He ran over to Cream and held her close.

"You two get out of here while I fix your friend, here. Alright?" Big gave a thumbs-up and a friendly wink.

"Okay!" Tails and Cream said together. They both raced off towards the entrance to the Space Port, until--

A gunshot.

Cream collapsed: She had been shot in the lower back and she was bleeding profusely. Tails felt her hand slip out of his, and he turned around to see Cream on the floor.

"Cream!" Tails screamed her name. He instantly ran back for her and skidded next to her. He lifted her in his arms, staring down at her wound. His ears didn't pick up Big's heavy footsteps. Tails calculated the trajectory of the shot…and found the gunman.

"How could you shoot a seven-year-old girl?" Tails shouted, demanding an answer. "You monster!"

Shadow lowered his pistol and snickered wickedly. "And you wonder how I could assault a thirteen-year-old girl as well? Well, it's because I despise Earthlings! They make me sick!"

"What has Earth ever done to harm you? Why are you taking your anger out on us?"

"Age doesn't matter to me! As long as they have Earthling blood running in them, I will kill them…" He scowled down at the boy. "I should kill you, too, boy, but I'll leave that job to Rouge. She's been itching for a good fight…" He looked over his shoulder and grimaced at the battle going on behind him. The turbulence of Nephtis and Jehuty soaring by rippled through his quills.

"Tails…" Big said softly. He furrowed his brows. He pressed the COM link on his ear. "Commander Blaze, you are needed outside--and bring a gurney while you're at it. Quickly!" He removed his finger from the link's button and removed a gun from its holster, and aimed it towards Shadow. "Tails, get Cream over to Commander Blaze, now. I'll fend off this BAHRAM scum!"

"So sorry. I can't play with you right now. I have a solar system to conquer!" Shadow leapt backwards, landing in Anubis' cockpit.

Anubis stood over the small grouping, casting a large shadow over them. He started to hover and flew away, heading for the Space Port.

Nephtis and Jehuty halted from battle and were caught in a deadlock.

"Hmph, you really should consider becoming one of us," Rouge insisted. "Follow us if you want to continue this match…boy." Nephtis hovered away from him before flying off to follow Anubis.

Jehuty halted. Inside the cockpit, Sonic growled. He looked down over to where the others were, seeing Commander Blaze racing out with a hover-gurney in hand. His eyes widened at the sight of Cream being set on the gurney. Even from that distance, he could see the bloodied towels that attempted to stop her bleeding. He watched as Commander Blaze took Cream away, with Tails at her side…holding her hand.

Sonic furrowed his brows. _Should I stay with them or should I go after Nephtis and Anubis? _Sonic thought unsurely. He growled again.

Jehuty blasted away to catch up with the two BAHRAM officers…

...(ADA)...

Jehuty was headed for the Space Port via transport tunnel. Sonic held his composure as he headed closer to the end…

_Cream…Tails… _Sonic started to remember, _Commander Blaze…Knuckles…Amy… _His hands gripped the green orbs tighter. _I will avenge some of you…but fight for all of you! _

Sonic increased the output of Jehuty's thrusters…

...(ADA)...

A dim reddish light opened up before him…revealing the cylindrical form of the Space Port.

"I detect high-potential time bombs scattered within this vicinity," ADA announced cautiously. "The only method to disarm them is the technique of Grab and Throw. All you'll have to do is latch Jehuty's hands onto to the bomb and--"

"Then that'll blow its hands off!" Sonic exclaimed.

"…If you hold onto the bomb, I will disarm it and send its explosion into a vector trap."

"Vector trap… Got it!"

Jehuty hovered out into the area, searching for the bombs…

Yet hidden above were Anubis and Nephtis, waiting in the shadows for the time being…

"Let me do battle with him, Anubis! I can beat him and retrieve the Orbital Frame for you!"

"That's exactly why I don't want you to battle him, Nephtis! I've told you countless times that I don't want one scratch on Jehuty, and you know why!" he scolded her. His eyes, crimson and impatient, glared at her disdainfully. "I will not keep repeating my strategy to my best officer and…my…"--His voice softened.--"…future wife…"

Rouge's eyes widened. _Huh?_

"I'm sorry, I'm so impulsive… Nephtis, just stand down. We're retreating."

"Retreat, now? But you're so close--"

Anubis started to fly along the horizontal column. "We're evacuating…_now_, Nephtis."

_You jerk…! _Rouge scowled. "I refuse your order. I will do battle with the kid, and win…without scratching your precious toy…" Rouge frowned at him as she hovered away.

Shadow only glared at her, and Anubis disappeared…

Jehuty was at the end of disarming a bomb before Nephtis appeared. She hovered a little ways away from him, staring menacingly at him. Rouge snickered inside the cockpit.

"Good boy, you came, just like I knew you would…"

"Don't down-talk me like I'm a dog!" Sonic yelled back to her. He snarled.

"Oh my! Ready to play, huh?"

Nephtis jetted out towards Jehuty at full speed. "C'mon!" …

...(ADA)...

Big was busy repairing Vic Viper just outside of the Atlantis…while Cream was breathing softly, lying in the Recovery Room of the Atlantis. She had been bandaged up well by Commander Blaze, and was in the process of healing. Tails had never left her side.

He waited there next to her bed, never having let go of her hand. He watched her carefully with his alert, sky-blue eyes. Commander Blaze stood aside from Tails, a half-sorrowful gaze framing her face.

"Tails…" she said his name softly.

Cream's vital signs read normally. The bleeding had stopped, but Cream hadn't regained consciousness just yet.

"Tails!" came Big's soft call. He came into the room quietly. "Vic Viper is all ready for ya!"

Tails looked back at Big with smiling eyes. "Take good care of Cream for me. Tell her I said that I had to go help Big Brother…okay?"

Commander Blaze smiled. "Of course."

Big gave the fox boy a thumbs-up, winking.

Tails nodded, and raced out of the Atlantis, heading for Vic Viper. Once in the cockpit, he prepared himself for battle. "AVA, time to go."

The console shimmered a happy blue. "Roger! V2-Vic Viper, ready for action!"

With that, Vic Viper's boosters glowed and hummed, propelling him into the air as he soared away to Sonic's location.

"AVA, can you find where Sonic and Jehuty are?" Tails requested.

"My feedback indicates that Jehuty is engaged in battle with…the Orbital Frame Nephtis!" she replied.

"Oh no! Then we've gotta hurry!"

Vic Viper's main thrusters ignited, giving him an extra boost of speed…

...(ADA)...

Jehuty struck Nephtis in the side with his blade. He slashed out at her vigorously.

Nephtis took the blows at her own expense, failing to shield herself. She was slammed against the horizontal column and hovered there. Rouge held her bloody side. She snarled at him.

"You think you can beat the best?" Rouge asked wryly.

Sonic frowned. "No. I _know _I can…!"

Jehuty dashed out, blade prone. He made his stab…and connected to Nephtis' chest, where a "heart" was supposed to be. Then he straightened her up off the column, pulling her closer to him.

"Tell me right now why you're attacking this colony!" Sonic yelled.

"For the Frame you're piloting, kid… It should belong to BAHRAM by now, but since you dragged yourself into this situation, well…what more do I have to explain to you?"

"Why kill innocent people when you could've negotiated? Wouldn't that have been better?"

"We don't negotiate with Earthlings, kid. Strict policy of my General…even though I'm half-Earthling myself…"

"Does your general know that?"

"Shut up, you little brat! You don't know the half of it!"

Jehuty removed his blade swiftly from Nephtis' chest, slicing out of it. The motion caused her to drift to the side.

Rouge's side stung with pain, and she growled from it. She clutched it to suppress some of the pain. _Damn… _"How about this, kid?!" Nephtis fired a scattershot of flaming orbs.

Jehuty defended himself from them and fired a halberd laser at her, but she dodged it.

_Damn! How can this kid be better than me? _Rouge's mind raced aggravatingly. Nephtis fired her own halberd laser at the same moment Jehuty fired his again. The two energies clashed powerfully and diffused after some tense moments…sending Nephtis and Jehuty backwards.

Vic Viper soon appeared at the entrance of the Space Port and looked ahead to see Jehuty and Nephtis caught in a deadlock. Then he noticed that she was headed straight for him. "Sonic!" Vic Viper's thrusters ignited instantly…

Sonic had covered his eyes from the result of the diffusion of energies, it being bright and blinding. Before Sonic could react, Nephtis had her blade prone and in position to stab him…

…but Vic Viper was there an instant before the blade's tip had the chance to wound Jehuty, shoving Nephtis away from him. His thrusters sent him and Nephtis hurtling towards the wall. Denting it deeply…

"Keep away from my brother, you witch!" Tails cried threateningly.

"Ergh, you little bastard…!"

Nephtis stabbed her blade into Vic Viper's face.

"AAAAHH!" Tails wailed in fear, his console sparking inside the cockpit. He looked beside him then, and spotted…a flashing red light…of a wandering time bomb. His pupils constricted tightly. _No…_

"No!" Rouge cried desperately…

The explosion blinded Sonic into covering his eyes again, as he cried Tails' name. It sent him flying backwards…

Once the smoke cleared and Sonic could see, he saw that Tails and Rouge were gone.

"ADA, switch to the outer camera, quick!"

ADA did so, and saw Vic Viper and Nephtis drifting together in outer space. And there was nothing Jehuty could do.

"Tails! Tails, can you hear me?" Sonic yelled into his COM link. "Tails! Tails!"

Vic Viper was in terrible shape, mangled and beaten, as well as Nephtis. Rouge just snickered, holding her side.

"I guess this is it for me… Beaten by some punk-ass kid… I should be ashamed of myself. Oh well…my time has come--"

"No, Rouge! Maybe…just maybe, I can still save you!--"

"Orbital Frame Nephtis and LEV Vic Viper are falling ever faster due to Jupiter's gravitational pull," ADA announced. "Although it is not impossible to save them both, it is extremely risky. I advise you not to take any unnecessary risks--"

"Unnecessary risks? That's my little brother out there--"

"Sonic…?" Tails' voice emanated into Sonic's cockpit. "It's…it's okay. I'm in…consent with this ending."

"Tails, what are you talking about?"

"Just tell Cream that I love her very much, and just say that I've gone to stay with Knuckles, and our moms…"--He coughed.--"…and that I won't be coming back."

"Tails, don't say that--"

"Just let the kid die, you son of a bitch…" Rouge intervened disrespectfully. "It's not like it's the end of the world… Well, Rouge, it's the end of yours."

"No, this can't be your end! ADA, I've got to save them!"

"I understand your principle of saving lives, but the risks you decide upon taking may take your own life. I…do not want that," ADA admitted.

"ADA?"

"I am one of the beings that need you most. I am incapable of 'feeling'…and I am in need of some moral guidance…by you. Please… Do not throw your life away."

"ADA, I… I won't… I…" Tears escaped from Sonic's eyes.

"Kid, if there's anything else I'd have to tell you," Rouge began, "it would have to be that I was your enemy, and you got your revenge on me for slaughtering your family and friends… You…" She also had tears falling from her eyes modestly. "You…had a better life than I did, kid. It wasn't my choice to join BAHRAM; It was my father's. You think I enjoy killing people, let alone Earthlings when I'm half-Earthling myself? But I only did it…so I…could be close to him…Anubis. I had the wildest crush on him as I rose in the rankings, and as I got closer and closer…I learned that he hated Earth for oppressing Mars. His parents were part of the oppression, and he was born into it… I guess I can't blame him…"

Tails was listening to her story as well. He felt at rest once he learned why the General would have Antilia's civilians killed.

"Once I was so close and yet so far, he learned my name and I learned his true name. We were as close as Earth and Mars at first, but as time progressed…well, you know."

"He still doesn't know you're half-Earthling, does he?" Tails asked.

The connection between the three of them was becoming gapped with static.

"He should have, if he'd just look into my personal files… He's not stupid or anything; He's just a little too laid-back. Don't be too hard on him once you two encounter each other again, kid."

Sonic wiped his tears away. "It was nice having this chat with you, Rouge."

"Yeah, it wasn't all bad… It's nice to make conversation with your kind…even though…I'm not exactly…"

"Sure you are, as long as you have the same blood running through your veins as we do," Tails reassured her, smiling.

She smiled back at him. She sighed. "Shadow…I love you and I'm sorry…but as I've survived as a Halfling, I'll die as a Halfling…"

"Sonic, I'm gonna miss you," Tails spoke up, tears flooding from his eyes. "Cream…I guess we'll never grow up together like we'd hoped…but I'll always love you too…"

Their connections all were abruptly cut.

"Tails! Rouge!"

The two mecha both disappeared in orbs of reddish-orange light. The atmosphere engulfed them as they diminished from sight…as well as existence.

"Both Nephtis and Vic Viper have disintegrated," ADA announced.

Sonic sat in his cockpit, filled with sadness and despair. His little brother was gone, and his not-for-true adversary had lost the battle… He held his knees close to his chest, sniffling a little. Tears never paused to fall from his emerald-green eyes.

"Your mental state currently reads at a negative ten. I recommend you to take some medication to remedy your declining mental state," ADA advised. After a long pause, she continued, "I repeat, your mental state currently reads in the negative bracket. I advise you to take some medication to remedy it."

Sonic said nothing. He continued to hold his knees to his chest, it barely heaving breaths, and zone out of his surroundings…unaware of the Raptor, Mummyhead, and Cyclops Orbital Frames encircling him.

"Sensors indicate quantitative numbers of enemy Orbital Frames in the immediate vicinity of us," ADA announced. "Identified to be of BAHRAM origin."

Sonic's eyes flared open, intense with anger. He gripped the green orbs tightly.

"Anubis!"

Sonic yelled to the top of his lungs as he flashed out his blade. He soared towards the closest enemy, that was in front of him, and slashed at it vigorously. The others crowded around him in attempts of surrounding him…but they were futile. Jehuty spun all around him to slash them all in half. Another few Cyclops Frames darted into the fray, but were shot down…

Sonic's heated rage cooled down in order to see another Orbital Frame, a humanoid-shaped one like Jehuty.

"Sonic!" a female voice called out to him.

"Commander?" Sonic murmured.

"This is Ardjet's Commander Blaze to Jehuty's Sonic! Come in, Sonic!"

"I'm here…sort of."

"The Atlantis is here to retrieve Jehuty, Sonic. Lightly tap the trigger button to fire a wide-range Geyser attack."

Sonic looked at his console and hesitated. Then quickly selected the Geyser missiles as the enemy Orbital Frames closed in on him. He lightly tapped the trigger…and launched them, paralyzed the entire ring of enemy Frames, and flew away towards Ardjet.

"Into the Atlantis. Hurry!" Commander Blaze ordered.

Sonic obeyed…

...(ADA)...

The Atlantis glided through outer space. The starry surroundings were at peace and serene, with ever-large Jupiter steadily decreasing in size…and leaving Antilia to destruction.

Jehuty was stowed away safely in the Frame Hangar along with Ardjet.

Sonic gazed at Jehuty through a large windowpane. He pressed a palm on the glass. Thinking of Tails and Rouge… He shut his eyes, looking away from the massive Frame.

"Mr. Sonic?"

Sonic shot his sights over his right shoulder and saw Cream being pushed by Commander Blaze in the hover-gurney. She smiled.

"Cream…" Sonic whispered her name. He stepped over to her. He then pulled her into a gentle embrace, tears brimming.

"Where're Tails and Amy?" Cream asked innocently.

Sonic found it hard to respond right away, so there was a brief pause before he gained the voice to answer her. Commander Blaze had a sorrowful expression scull across her face. For she knew… She bowed her head.

"All Tails wanted me to tell you…was that he has gone to see Knuckles and Amy…and your moms…and that…he won't be coming back…ever."

Cream blinked a little, before coming into understanding of what Sonic just told her. Her eyes watered instantly, and she bawled loudly.

All Sonic could do was hold the poor girl closer to him.

"Tails!" …


	3. BAHRAM vs GUNSF

"Of all my best soldiers who have died in battle I never thought it could happen to Rouge. Now I feel empty, and my life means nothing to me…

"Jehuty will be sought after in vengeance…and that kid will pay for his dreadful deed."

BAHRAM VS. GUNSF…2172 AD…

Shadow awakened from his light slumber. His eyes stared up at the ceiling wonderingly. He tossed his sheets from off of him and walked over to where his military jacket was hanging…

Enough to house over thirty-five hundred soldiers and trainees, the BAHRAM barracks were open and spacious.

Shadow descended the staircase leading to his personal residence, most notable due to its literal royalties. The surrounding officers bowed in his wake and stepped aside to let him through. There was an air of royalty around the general as he headed towards the exit.

In the hangar, he stopped to marvel at Anubis, which was to the right of him. He smirked, and peered down to see mechanics putting on the finishing touches. Below, they all straightened up and saluted him. Shadow kept his smirk and passed by.

He continued through the eternal maze indifferently until he reached an underground laboratory. Within it was a large area where the development of Orbital Frames took effect. He crossed a bridge over the busy area, meeting a professor along the way.

"Sir," the aged man started properly, "Vascilia County's Manufacturing Plant has created over two hundred new Raptors. Shall I--"

"Terminate the operation and recall all units from Antilia, Professor Robotnik. I already know where the one I seek is headed…" Shadow smirked again. "Station them and Zakat on the battlefront. Ready yourself, too, Ivo."

The tall, aged professor bowed as he stood aside. He may have physically towered over the general, but the general surpassed him in ranking. "Right away, sir." He bowed respectfully.

Shadow continued on his way…

...(ADA)...

Shadow had reached his destination: A hidden door leading to a hidden sector…

He sat down in front of a computer monitor, looking up someone's name…

"Where is she?"

He found it: Rouge. But next to it, in bold white letters on a red background, there was the word "DEAD".

He slammed his fists against the chair's armrests in anger. He clinched his teeth. His mind became boggled. "_How_? _When_?" He scanned to search for a time of death: Thirty minutes ago and counting… "No!" He hastily sat up from the chair and took his leave… _She really is gone…_

...(ADA)...

Shadow could only sulk on his bed, gazing down at a framed photograph of Rouge in her Commander's uniform. He refused to admit tears and held in his sorrow. He clenched the bed sheets tightly into his fist, gritting his teeth again.

She was beautiful in the photograph. He remembered the day he received the photograph from her, and he giving her the original of his picture. The medium-sized photo was personally framed by Rouge herself, and she gave it to the general as a shy attempt to have her feelings returned…and it worked.

"My love is gone…" he murmured sadly. "Now Jehuty will most certainly be mine! Rouge, your death will not be in vain! Aumaan will not only dominate Mars, but obliterate the entire solar system!" He grappled his composure quickly. He rethought about his true desire and held his chest. "My love…I will be with you momentarily, but I must finalize the preparations for our plans. I will retrieve Jehuty for you, my angel…" He removed a small box from his pants pocket. He opened it to reveal a brilliant-cut diamond ring. "We were to be engaged…if only sooner, Rouge. If only I hadn't been such a fool… Forgive me, my love…" He buried his face into his knees, holding the ring closer to his chest. "Please…"

"General Anubis! Please report to the Bridge immediately! An unidentified spacecraft has just entered into our airspace!"

Shadow slowly got up from the bed and donned his jacket once again, fastening its belts and latches. One large badge with BAHRAM's insignia on it glittered on the jacket's lapel. His face became stern and hard as he hid the boxed ring back in his pocket.

"You may have been a Halfling--but I still loved you…" Shadow whispered as he left his quarters.

...(ADA)...

"They're gaining on us!" Commander Blaze cried.

BAHRAM Raptors, Mummyheads, and Cyclops were tailing the Atlantis, heading towards Mars.

"I'm flying as fast as this baby can go!" Big informed her. "We're entering the atmosphere! Hold on!"

In the Recovery Room, one of the civilian workers held Cream close to him. Cream held fast to his warmth, clamping her eyes shut and crying out.

Sonic was waiting inside Jehuty's cockpit, ready to be deployed.

"This is going to be a solo mission for you, Sonic. We've just gotten word that BAHRAM is making their move. They know we're here… Can you take out the fortress they're trying to protect?" Commander Blaze explained to him.

"No problem!" was Sonic's positive response. He smiled bravely.

"Their fortress, Aumaan, is suppose to be a superb structure with the ultimate attack and defense power. It is being heavily protected by BAHRAM, so be careful."

"Gotcha!"

"Okay, we're going to get as close to the surface as we can and drop you off, Sonic. Once you're off, you're off, so good luck!"

"Understood, Commander! I'm off!"

The hangar hatch slowly opened, and released Sonic and Jehuty into the dusty outside. Jehuty landed neatly atop of a plateau. He looked onward to the oncoming armada heading towards him. He looked up to see the Atlantis take off back through Mars's atmosphere…

The battle was at hand…

...(ADA)...

Shadow traversed the bridge leading to Anubis. He hopped inside of the cockpit and sat, waiting for the cockpit hatch to shut. He readied himself as the hatch closed…

"All systems green, Anubis."

"Deploy me, soldier." Shadow was pumped.

Below, the floor began to surge with reddish lightning. The roof leisurely opened up to reveal the grayish-beige sky. Shadow stared up to the sky and became lost in thought. "You're among the stars now, my love… I will join you in due time."

Then Anubis was shot up out of the hangar…

Below, a silvery-white hedgehog with bright citrine eyes pulled out a COM link and stated, "Anubis has just taken off, Commander Blaze. He's heading into the battlefront."

"Commander Blaze, you said…traitor?"

Suddenly, three gunshots… Professor Robotnik loomed out of the shadows to reveal himself with a gun to the crowding soldiers on the bridge above. The soldier who had been shot was barely breathing, and announced his final words:

"BAHRAM has discovered my true identity, Commander. I'm sorry…" He fell limp.

Professor Robotnik walked over to him and picked up the corpse by the neck and showed him to the soldiers above him. "See, kiddies? This is the result of a traitor being in our midst! Any deception shown here will immediately be suspected and terminated! Now, to your positions! We have a Frame to capture…"

...(ADA)...

Jehuty flew below into the crevices in between the plateaus and stayed low. He looked over his shoulder and saw another Orbital Frame heading for him… It was Ardjet.

"Commander Blaze? I thought--"

"You truly thought this was a solo mission? My fleets already have their orders, and Cream is safe, so don't worry, okay?"

Sonic blinked, then nodded. "Let's go!"

Commander Blaze nodded as well, but looked down at her console sorrowfully. "Silver…"

Both Ardjet and Jehuty both flew on along the winds and curves of the crevices. Lasers rained down from above; Aerial warships were scouring the land for any hint of Jehuty's presence.

"We are closing in on the location of Aumaan," Commander Blaze said. "I'll bet we could see better if we were in the air. Wanna try? You up for battle?"

Sonic smirked. "I'll race ya!" He then steered Jehuty upwards and rocketed out of the gorge. With Commander Blaze and Ardjet in chase…

...(ADA)...

Anubis waited behind the armada patiently. Inside the cockpit, he sat with his arms and legs crossed. His eyes paid no mind to the fleets of Orbital Frames and warships. He only waited…

He did look up though…and gawked. At the massive opposition at the other end of his course: The GUNSF fleets. He gritted his teeth, but relaxed, sitting back in his seat, smirking also.

"They are still no match for me…"

...(ADA)...

The opposition came in explosively, firing lasers and machine guns toward the BAHRAM armada. Jehuty and Ardjet were amidst the range of gunfire, so they soared higher over the raging fleets. They went on ahead towards the BAHRAM fortress, but were blocked off by a flock of Raptor, Mummyhead, and Cyclops Frames.

"Think you can take 'em?" Commander Blaze asked.

"Heh, I _know_ I can!" Sonic replied positively. He and Jehuty jetted away towards the flock of enemy Frames. "I'll handle these guys! You go on and head for the BAHRAM HQ, Commander."

"Roger!"

Jehuty blasted and sliced away enemies so Ardjet could fly through…until--

A huge laser was fired almost out of nowhere.

"Commander!" Sonic cried. Both Ardjet and Jehuty dodged the linear shot, its aftershock flinging them away further. "Commander, are you okay?" Jehuty caught itself and regained balance.

Ardjet also regained its balance and hovered some distance next to Jehuty. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They looked ahead and saw a huge spherical Orbital Frame heading menacingly towards them. Everywhere lasers fired from it--obliterating nearby GUNSF fleets--and the surrounding BAHRAM Frames hovered around it as though it were a god…

"Hey there, boy," an older male voice emanated into Sonic's cockpit.

Having eliminating all of their surrounding enemies, Sonic and Commander Blaze looked ahead to see the massive Frame heading for them. Their pupils constricted as they took in its gigantic size…

"Are you ready to die?" Ivo's face appeared on Sonic's monitor. A smirk curved the lips of the aged man.

"No, how 'bout you?" was Sonic's witty remark. Jehuty was armed and ready. It fired a scattershot of lasers, but they were instantly deflected by a light shield. "What?"

"Hah, you can only _dream_ of defeating Zakat, Earthling insect!" Ivo said proudly. "There's no escape, kid!" The broad laser was fired once more…

Jehuty and Ardjet dodged it again, heading closer to Zakat. Missiles were launched at it as well, but they were destroyed by a countermeasure.

"I'll go on ahead and fend off the surrounding forces, Sonic! Can you handle that thing alone?" Commander Blaze asked with concern for him.

"Sure, I can try!" was Sonic's insecure response. "Go on!"

Blaze nodded and zoomed off into the direction of the encircling fleet of Orbital Frames…

...(ADA)...

Anubis monitored the battle from afar. Shadow longed for Rouge to be at his side, but he shook it off as soon as he noticed that GUNSF fleets were gaining airspace.

"I refuse to allow them to live… All forces, full throttle assault! Increase morale at forefront! Do not let them penetrate the walls of Aumaan!" _I should be preparing for Jehuty's grand entrance… _he thought then.

Anubis hovered away back towards HQ…

...(ADA)...

Sonic fought Ivo off with all of his might, but it still wasn't enough.

Inside of Zakat were Ivo and three other Runners, all of avian physique and Neo-Martian origin: A male hawk, a female swallow, and a buff albatross…

"All systems read normal capacity and function, Professor," the swallow spoke, "despite all the energy we are exerting…"

"Increase to maximum output, my dear," Ivo instructed. "We want this Frame destroyed, do we not?"--

"_I _do not!" Shadow's voice echoed into the control room.

"Gyah! Uhh…General Shadow, sir! I was just, uh…caught in the moment, as you know! Why, what would make you think that I'd want Jehuty destroyed? Heh heh…"

"You just said it yourself…"

"Oh my, uh, yes, you're quite right, sir! Quite right…"

The male hawk shook his head, sighing in relief...

Sonic noticed something strange. _It looks like it's firing at random directions. Maybe the Runner inside is distracted! Here's my chance! _Jehuty jetted off towards Zakat at full speed…

"Commander Robotnik, target Bravo is heading straight for us!" the female swallow cried.

"Huh?" he gasped, refocusing on the battle. "Counterattack with a barrage missile!"--

"Too late, sir…" the strong albatross said softly…

Jehuty pierced through into the core of the Orbital Frame, into the control room… Sonic let out a ferocious cry as he impaled Zakat's core.

...(ADA)...

Anubis entered through a large corridor. He spun his battle staff expertly as he hovered along. At the end, he came to an energy field…

Beyond the force field was a huge space, sparking with electricity. It was a bright white all around him as he glided through the empty, hazardous space…

"Aumaan…"

...(ADA)...

Jehuty soared over Vascilia County and saw LEVs stationed around in some areas. He flew down for a closer look. He saw that Commander Blaze had made it down there safely. She took command of the LEV squadrons below and invaded the Vascilia County's Manufacturing Plant to stop the output of minor enemy Frames…

"Good luck, Commander…" Sonic said softly, hoping that she would pick up the communication. He smiled a little. Then her face appeared on his monitor: She showed him her nodding.

Jehuty flew off towards Aumaan…


	4. The Aumaan Project

"This is it, Sonic. This is your moment to avenge the colony, your friends…and your mom."

The Aumaan Project… 2172 AD…

Outside of Aumaan were the GUNSF forces breaking their way through BAHRAM armies of Raptors, Mummyheads, and Cyclops Frames.

"All units, report to the Manufacturing Plant on the double!" Commander Blaze signaled her squadrons. "We're storming in and shuttin' this thing down!" Ardjet hovered over the squadrons, leading them with a point of its finger.

Seeing more BAHRAM forces heading their way, Blaze and Ardjet hovered higher into the air…also seeing Zakat, billowing with smoke and fire and falling from the sky…towards them.

Inside the cockpit, Commander Blaze stiffened. Then swapped her sights over towards to her infantry. "All units, evacuate the area, now! I repeat, evacuate now! Follow me!"

All of the LEV units turned to face her as she flew back over their heads. They saw the ever descending Zakat heading towards them. Immediately, they fired up their rocket thrusters and followed after Ardjet.

Zakat landed right into the Manufacturing Plant, destroying it and part of the surrounding Vascilia residential area…

...(ADA)...

A booming sound echoed throughout Aumaan; Shadow heard this.

"Sir!" called a fretful soldier. "Zakat has just been defeated, and part of the Vascilia residential area has been obliterated!"--

"I could care less about Vascilia!" Shadow retorted waspishly. "All I want is Jehuty… Is there any sign of it on your end?"

Then screaming could be picked up. The cries of soldiers echoed across the airwaves into Shadow's ears. He paused, closing his eyes and listening to the agonizing screams and yelling. He crossed his arms.

"The resonance reaction… I can feel it… It's coming…"

...(ADA)...

Jehuty soared through the large labyrinth of corridors that was Aumaan. Sheer determination drove him towards Anubis and Shadow, with ADA to guide him.

"Utilizing echolocation for navigation," ADA announced. The method was extremely useful, especially when used in the dark; sound waves were sent out and around Jehuty and bounced off walls, so ADA could mechanically navigate Jehuty without running into dead ends. "I will instruct you on which way to turn."

"Thanks, ADA," Sonic said gratefully. "Let's go!" He ignited the thrusters so that he could glide faster through the maze.

"Left," ADA advised. "Right… Left… Left… Right…"

Sonic steered impulsively to the commands. He broke into a nervously excited sweat as he became closer and closer to the end…

Then there was a small opening in the floor ahead. Jehuty stopped, and Sonic blinked. "ADA, where does this hatch lead?" Sonic thought to ask.

"My scanners cannot define its destination," ADA replied, "but it is where Anubis has been located."

"Well, that's exactly where we're headed, ADA…!"

"I'd advise you to utilize the Vector Cannon to fracture the dense shielding. Compacted space has been used to seal this portion of Aumaan off, keeping intruders out and secrets in. I advise you to be careful." ADA seemed almost sincere…

"Will do, ADA," Sonic said reassuringly. He did as he was instructed, and Jehuty aimed down at the dense shielding. It leisurely charged its particle energy into its turbines and into the barrel of the cannon.

In one blast, the massive shielding disintegrated, and Jehuty headed down inside…

Ahead of him by many meters was indeed Anubis. It hovered effortlessly, its arms crossed and cordlike tail whipping impatiently. Shadow sat inside the cockpit, his arms still in their fold as well as his legs. His pupils contracted a little…

"Anubis!" Sonic cried out to him. "Answer one question for me! Why did you dare to even plot an attack on Antilia? What have we ever done to hurt you?"

"Heh heh… Hmph, you wanna know why I planned that attack on Antilia, you ask? Well, it was to find Jehuty. I planned the attack because the GUNSF disagreed to hand it back to BAHRAM, and yes, we were on good terms at the time. The GUNSF stole Jehuty from us and hid it somewhere on Antilia--"

"But how'd you know it was on Antilia?" Sonic interrupted.

Shadow was silent. "…The only reason I knew it was on Antilia was the fact that they went through all the trouble to only building _one_ station on Europa L5. One station to house Jehuty."

"How did you get Anubis?"

"I stole Anubis _and_ Nephtis a longer time ago, but I won't get into that. This mission is the root of my greed and self-pleasure. And a plot of revenge for whom you took from me…you little bastard!"

"That still gave you no right to kill innocent people, Anubis!"

"I don't give a damn about your precious Antilia, or Vascilia!"--

Sonic stiffened. _He…really doesn't care about the lives of others…_

"Foolish child! You possess no sort of merit to pilot Jehuty! He is _mine _to control!" Shadow cried out, lunging towards Sonic with Anubis.

The two were instantly locked into battle…

...(ADA)...

Outside of Earth's atmosphere, the Atlantis hovered leisurely. Inside, Cream couldn't help but look out onto the ravaged planet even though its atmosphere seemed rather pleasant. She sighed heavily.

_Tails, I miss you… _She pressed her hand against the Plexiglas, as tears strolled down her face…

...(ADA)...

The battle between Anubis and Jehuty raged on furiously. It was blade against staff as they clashed harshly. Oppositions were taken roughly yet clearly, as Sonic and Shadow fought for what they each thought was revenge.

One more collision: It caused sparks to fly every which way. They pushed each other away, far away, and stared one another down. The silence was flawed by the continuing battles above ground; despite the danger of the both of them being buried, they fought anyway.

"I'll kill you!" they both cried, charging at each other ferociously.

...(ADA)...

Above ground, the war went on, both oppositions unaware of the building resistance that was Jehuty and Anubis' fighting.

Ardjet uncovered herself from a makeshift shield and looked around, only to see destruction and ruin. Inside, Commander Blaze held a stern glare but her citrine eyes screamed shock and dismay. She rested her head in the palm of her hand, pausing to think.

"First Infantry LEV Assault, report," she said into her earpiece.

"Commander Blaze, the Manufacturing Plant…" one soldier managed to relay back to her. "It's been destroyed, Ma'am."

"What's the status of your unit?"

"All dead except the three of us, Ma'am."

Ardjet hovered there; Blaze hadn't moved a centimeter. Wisps also hovered around her. She eyed them. _Most of my forces have been extinguished by the blast… There has to be a solution to all this! _Then the thought hit her.

Ardjet was flying over the wreckage when she spotted Zakat. It hovered before the havocked structure and dug through the debris to find Ivo and the three Runners, unmoving…until Ivo sat up rubbing his head.

Commander Blaze had exited her cockpit and stepped over to Ivo. She harshly grappled his collar, and snarled, "What is your objective? What is the purpose for Aumaan?"

The doctor only snickered once he realized her demanding questions. "Heh heh, only to conquer the entire solar system, my dear. We _will_ destroy you, and we _will_ win this war!"

Commander Blaze snarled deeply at him, gripping his collar tighter. "Over my dead body…" She sharply caught the movement of one of the avian Runners. The female swallow had a pistol in hand and aimed directly at Blaze.

"Don't move, kitty-cat," the female swallow provocatively insisted, her finger on the trigger.

Commander Blaze reflexively unsheathed her own pistol and quickly aimed it at her opposition. She scowled deeply. Then she swapped her aim down towards Ivo. "Put the weapon down and back away slowly, or else your boss is a goner," Blaze threatened.

But the swallow kept her aim at her. She smirked a little…and fired, scoring a direct hit to Blaze's left shoulder.

Commander Blaze automatically held her injured shoulder. She growled from the pain, and fired back at the swallow twice, hitting her collarbone and her stomach. The female swallow collapsed before Blaze's sights, dead instantly. Blaze then aimed back at Ivo, who wasn't the least bit stunned by the slaughtering of his Runner. "How do I shut down Aumaan?" Blaze demanded.

Ivo made the rude yet polite remark of, "As Ivo Robotnik, Chief Scientist of BAHRAM, I would never betray my military and tell you any of Aumaan's secrets!"

"Tell me, old man, unless you want a bullet lodged into your skull."

"I would rather die than betray BAHRAM."

Commander Blaze released Ivo's collar and stepped away from him, still holding her shoulder. After scowling at him she turned away from him and looked to the distance. _Sonic… _

"There's no hope, you know…" Ivo spoke again. "The end is upon you…"

Commander Blaze frowned at that. She looked over to see Ardjet still knelt down next to her. She blinked and looked towards Aumaan, allowing the dusty breeze blow past her body…

...(ADA)...

Sonic and Shadow were locked in battle, clashing their weapons together harder than ever before. More steel against steel action, surged with adrenaline, rang throughout Aumaan. Lightning still bolted artificially among them, creating a more hazardous battle arena.

They both paused from their battle. Inside each of the cockpits, the two hedgehogs huffed for breath and stared each other down.

Sonic kept his grip on the controls, even though he was a bit shaken up. His thoughts raced through his mind. _Tails… Knuckles… Amy… Cream…all of my friends. They need me…they need me…to win! _"I've gotta win this. I've just gotta…for my mom…! For my mom!" he yelled, charging at Anubis at full throttle…

Shadow had his eyes closed, thinking…focusing. _I shall duel for you, my angel… _His eyes snapped open. "Let our dead love empower me and allow me to defeat this foe!"

Anubis blocked Jehuty's incoming blade with his staff once more. As they held their places, each of the hedgehogs snarled.

"You!" Sonic screamed. "I'll never forgive you for attacking my home and killing my friends! Do you have any idea of how many people you've hurt?"

Shadow grimaced, baring his teeth. "I could care less about your precious Antilia! All I want is my way, and my way is the path of destruction! The entire solar system will be obliterated from existence! Now, out of my way and out of my life!"

Anubis shoved Jehuty back a distance before jetting towards him…but suddenly vanished. Sonic had jumped in his seat from the sudden disappearance, then swapped his sights to and fro, looking desperately for Anubis.

"Dammit, where is he?" he cried frustratingly. He waited…

"There is a resonant presence approaching from behind," announced ADA.

"What?" Sonic cried, but--

"It's called Zero Shift… Learn it well," Shadow said dauntingly. Anubis abruptly pierced his staff through Jehuty's mid-back. Leaving it there, Shadow continued, "Heh, weakling." as Jehuty slowly descended…

Sonic felt a sparking sensation streak throughout his body; he screamed loudly, enough for Shadow to listen--who snickered at his pain. Once it ceased, Sonic regained his senses, hearing ADA announce, "Substantial damage detected in abdominal region. Metatron Ore required to repair… None detected in immediate area."

Sonic growled deeply. His console flashed erratically before the systems managed to stabilize. He felt his heart hammering against his chest; he gripped it as a reflexive gesture. _No, I can't lose to him! Not when I'm so close! _

Jehuty slowly reached for the staff skewered through his thorax and pulled the staff from it, and held it firmly.

Sonic bowed his head, and maneuvered Jehuty to face Anubis. He gritted his teeth, huffing breaths angrily in and out. "I'm not losing to you…you son of a bitch!" Sonic suddenly vanished.

Shadow sat in his cockpit, unfazed. He had his arms held in a cross. "He's figured out the Zero Shift very quickly. I wonder if he can keep up…" He disappeared as well.

The two Orbital Frames found one another and clashed once again in rebellious opposition and mad fury. Anubis, even though he no longer had his battle staff, fought with a now protracted hidden blade and sparred with Jehuty roughly.

"Stability in Aumaan is reaching an unstable capacity," announced ADA. Her sudden voice startled Sonic a little as both Jehuty and Anubis shoved each other away.

"Stability in Aumaan?" Sonic wondered, looking down at his console.

"Yes…" Shadow appeared on Sonic's monitor; Sonic frowned. "With each strike of my blade, energy signals are sent to Aumaan's central generator, empowering it with every parried blow. Notice how my blade glows so brightly." His blade was indeed glowing brightly, a bright crimson. "And now our battle must come to a halt, dear adversary, for destiny beckons…"

Anubis' "wings" extended out as he hovered away towards the central column.

"Oh no, you don't! Get back here and fight me!" Sonic ordered the general. He maneuvered Jehuty to chase after him, but Shadow used Zero Shift once again, escaping Sonic. "Dammit! No!" Sonic watched as Anubis positioned himself in the in-between of ascending and descending pillars surging with electrical energy. The voltage coursed through the Frame and into the cockpit, electrocuting Shadow directly.

Despite the painful stimulus of being electrocuted, Shadow cackled heinously as his console monitor read the percentile of input power: exceeding one hundred percent. "Goodbye, universe!" Shadow cried malevolently.

"No!" Sonic charged Jehuty into the gap, joining Anubis. Jehuty became paralyzed by the voltage and was trapped by it. Sonic stiffened because of the strong dispelling of electrical energy throughout his Frame.

"Agh! ADA!" Sonic cried painfully.

"Emergency activation of Vector Trap initialized," announced ADA…

...(ADA)...

Commander Blaze continued to hold her shoulder, holding back the blood. She had ripped some fabric from her uniform shirt and tied up the wound but it didn't seem to help much; the blood still leaked through, despite the heaviness of the fabric. She looked around to view the atmosphere above from within Ardjet's cockpit. Then she looked over to see Ivo's corpse already dirtied by the dusty wind; she frowned down at him. She then sharply looked over to Aumaan's surface building, maneuvering her Frame to face that way. She watched as the building seemed to be cracking like an egg…

_Oh no…Sonic! _she thought fretfully. She then rethought her next actions. She grimaced. _Cream…and Big… I need to get back to them. Sonic, I'm sorry but I have to get out of here. Aumaan's gonna blow… _Ardjet floated into the air and made a rapid dash out towards the atmosphere…

Aumaan's surface building was indeed cracking and splitting into pieces. It was a matter of time before--

It imploded: it also cratered deeply into the barred soil, revealing Aumaan's insides.

Light then beamed out of the deep crevice along with bolts of lightning. It streaked high into the beige sky, parting the thin wispy clouds. From where Commander Blaze was, she could see the outburst of light and electricity. Tears came to her eyes as she flew through the starry emptiness. _Sonic… _She continued on towards the Atlantis via navigation…


	5. Planet Hope

"I…refuse to lose…to him."

"I will claim victory in this war… I can't afford to lose…especially not to this child."

"I will do all that is in my power…to kill you!"

Planet Hope…2172 A.D…

Flames ravaged the misshaped terrain where Aumaan's façade used to stand. Among the flames stood Anubis and Jehuty in ruins together facing each other with extreme opposition.

A great distance past the atmosphere was a great blue orb with a smaller white orb floating next to it: Earth and its moon.

Sonic and Shadow were still fighting each other on the ground. They had fought long and hard as they scored direct hits to one another's body: Sonic managed to score a couple strong punches to Shadow's abdomen and face; Shadow recoiled from the blows, and retaliated with a mimicked barrage of cheap shots to Sonic's face. He also managed to throw in a good kick to Sonic's side. This made Sonic buckle and collapse to the ground, on all fours, coughing up speckles of blood.

Shadow stood there, facing away from Sonic. He held a stoic visage as he gazed at the ground.

Sonic proceeded to a weak kneel as he looked back to Shadow. He observed how bruised and battered he looked since he was forcefully ejected from his cockpit and landed in rubble. He caught a glimpse of a deep gouge splitting down Shadow's head due to his crashing through the cockpit's hatch's glass. Shadow's military jacket was tattered and ripped in some places, and his uniform was smudged with grime. Where there was a rip, there was a bleeding scar. Blood had trickled from the gouge over Shadow's eye and down his face.

But it wasn't as though Sonic was in any better condition: Sonic's already dingy clothes were dirtied even more by his blood and the clinging soil. He slowly and weakly got to his feet and slouched, gasping for breath but ended up coughing. He looked back to see Shadow aiming his pistol at him. Sonic stood, unmoved and unfazed; he wasn't surprised to see such a soldier of BAHRAM of his ranking having a gun, let alone a weapon.

He grimaced deeply…and carelessly charged at the armed general…

...(ADA)...

The Atlantis cruised past Earth. Big stared out at it as he navigated past. He sighed woefully. Commander Blaze had made it safely back to the civilian transport cruiser, and was now accompanied by Cream, who sat in her lap fast asleep. Blaze caressed her head lovingly as she gazed thoughtfully down at the girl.

_I was honored to fight for what was right in this war, to fight on the Earthling side, even though Big and I are only Neo-Earthlings--being born on Mars and having lived on Earth. The survival of the Earthling species…now lies within this dormant girl. _Her expression swiftly shifted. _I'm sure she misses Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Sonic a whole lot. But we must take her to the Neo colony stationed in Venus's orbit, where she can perhaps live a normal life. _She smiled a little. _She'll be alright there. No more fighting, no more worries…just happiness. Cream… May the Heavens watch over and bless this child._

Blaze shut her eyes briefly--but there was a sudden voice that made them snap open.

"Miss Blaze?" It was Cream. She had woken up a little moment ago and was now looking up at Blaze curiously. "Are you okay, Miss Blaze?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, I'm fine, Cream. I'm fine…"

"When is Sonic coming back?"

Blaze looked down at her with dismay hinted in her eyes. "I don't know if he's coming back, Cream, I really don't."

Cream looked away sadly and out the window to see Earth in its magnificent blue glory. She smiled at it. She suddenly hopped off of Blaze's lap and ran over to the window to marvel its beauty.

"It's so pretty, Miss Blaze, look." Her eyes sparkled brilliantly as she looked down to it. "Can we lived down there, Miss Blaze?"

"I'm afraid we can't, Cream. It's been abandoned for years… I'm sorry. It may be beautiful, but it can no longer sustain life," Blaze explained gravely to the little girl.

Cream blinked up at her. The sparkling intrigue in her eyes was shadowed over by another sadness. "I wish my friends were here with me…"

Blaze calmly knelt down next to Cream and laid light gentle hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry. They are always with you, Cream. I know they are."

Cream had upcoming tears pool into her eyes, but she impulsively wiped them away before they had the chance to fall. She smiled; Blaze also smiled warmly down at her. The gentle commander had Cream face her and embraced the little girl compassionately.

The Earth was so gorgeous from where they were…

...(ADA)...

…As well as where Sonic and Shadow were. They were now fighting over the pistol, that was still in Shadow's hand but being pried out by Sonic's fingers. They growled and snarled as they fought.

Sonic bit down on Shadow's arm, causing Shadow to let out a wild cry. He dropped his weapon and tried to pry Sonic's jaws out of his arm. He yanked at Sonic's head quills, but nothing seemed to cause the rebellious angry male to let up. Until Shadow bashed his fist into Sonic's skull, making him let go. Shadow instantly held his arm, seeing blood seeping out of the bite mark, as Sonic fell to the ground. Shadow huffed for breath and glared down at the semiconscious hedgehog teen. He limped over towards his gun just a little ways away-- "Hmph, foolish kid…"--and reached down to retrieve it--

But Sonic reflexively grabbed the gun and bashed its hilt against Shadow's head. Shadow hit the ground hard, puffs of dirt flew up in his wake. Before he could get up he felt a cold ring against his forehead: Sonic had him pinned.

"They…were my friends! My family! And this stupid war killed them! And it's all your fault!" His arms were trembling as he held the pistol with both hands.

Shadow was speechless; he allowed the teen to vent.

"You should've thought your plans through before executing them! Now my friends--the only friends I ever had--are gone, _forever_!" He pressed the gun further against Shadow's forehead.

Shadow refused to flinch. He only glared at Sonic intensely.

"I'll kill you… _I'll kill you_!"

"Then do it."

Sonic straightened, halting his finger from pulling the trigger. _Move, body! Move, dammit!_

"Kill me then, kid. What's the matter? Are you afraid?"--

"Hell no!" Sonic abruptly pushed the pistol's barrel against Shadow's forehead. _Why, why won't my finger move? _"I…I just…"

Shadow waited for the completion of Sonic's remark, but there was none. He closed his eyes. "Hmph, yes you are. That's why I'm still alive now."

"Shut up!"

Sonic bashed the butt of the gun across Shadow's face, causing his cheek to flush and blood to trickle from his mouth.

Shadow recovered from this move and smirked. "Stupid… Just pulled the goddamn trigger already."

Sonic recaptured his aim at his enemy's forehead once again, his eyes bloodshot of stress and hesitation. He finally pulled the trigger…

But there wasn't any sort of violent blow: Sonic was in shock and his arms instantly stopped trembling, holding the pistol there at Shadow; Shadow smirked.

"What the…" Sonic murmured dreadfully.

The pistol had jammed.

Shadow quickly took advantage of the situation and slapped the pistol out of Sonic's light grip and tightened his fist on Sonic's tattered collar, shoving him from off him. This time, Sonic was pinned to the ground. Shadow withdrew another pistol--surprisingly to Sonic--and held it steadily at Sonic's forehead. "Heh, my turn, Earthling shit…"

"You've got every right to be mad at Earth for oppressing your people, but don't you take your anger out on me…!"

Shadow shut his eyes. "How did you know the reason for my anger?"

"Rouge told me…"

Shadow's eyes snapped open. _What?_

"That's right. She told Tails and me a little bit about how much you hated Earth for oppressing you and your parents…"

_"…I learned that he hated Earth for oppressing Mars. His parents were part of the oppression, and he was born into it…"_

Shadow's eyes quivered madly as he remembered a moment with her.

_"Shadow…why do you hate Earth? What has Earth ever done to you?"_

_Shadow only snapped his eyes opened. He sharply sat up from his reclined position from the bed, giving Rouge a bewildered glare. "You're Martian, and you have no idea about the years of oppression Mars was put under?"_

_"Well, no…" Rouge sat up, too. "You see… I'm only half-Martian, Shadow."_

_Shadow's eyes widened for a brief second._

_"My mother was an Earthling, and my father was Martian. They had me in high hopes of settling tensions between Earth and Mars, but it failed, so Father hid us away from the oppression, whereas we wouldn't have been oppressed anyway due to the fact that my mother was an Earthling, and that I myself was half-Earthling. But once I was old enough to join the military, Father forced me into BAHRAM…"_

Rouge's seductive smirk ebbed into Shadow's mind.

"_Maybe you can stop the fighting, Shadow… You may be our only hope. Even if you fail or refuse to even try, I'll still be devoted to you because…_

"…_I love you."_

"Stop…the fighting…"

Shadow was speechless as his deceased lover's words echoed inside of his memory. His eyes continued to quiver madly, as his grasp on his weapon shied…

"I was… She wanted…for this all to stop…all that time? How could I forget? I'm…I'm such a fool. I purposely disregarded her wish, her love…for me." He shut his eyes. "But all of that…means nothing to me, now…because she's _dead_!"

Sonic's eyelids covered his eyes quickly, anticipating the final blow…but there was none…at least not yet.

When Sonic opened them again, he saw that Shadow had the gun aimed for his own head and looking up at the dusty atmosphere…with tears scrambling down his cheeks.

"My love, how could I have been such a fool, such a jerk to you? You deliberately masked your true feelings towards this war without hesitation or assent…"

From a slope away and above the two opposing hedgehogs stood a group of translucent figures…

"…She was so loyal and so loving. I'm worthless compared to her. Now that she's gone, my life has no meaning, and I can finally be along side her…!"--

"No!" Sonic suddenly cried out.

The two of them were fighting over the gun once again. Sonic was harshly kneed in the stomach. Bloody spittle escaped from his mouth as he collapsed onto his knees, clenching his abdomen. He coughed incessantly, and Shadow took aim at Sonic's head single-handedly.

Shadow huffed for breath as his grip on the weapon quaked. "Foolish Earthling…nothing will change my feelings towards Earth and its damned people. Shit like you doesn't deserve to live--"

"Don't take your mindless anger out on _me_, dammit!" Sonic yelled up at him, still clutching his stomach.

"…Shit like myself doesn't deserve to live…" Shadow looked up at the sky again. "Right?" He moved his aim from Sonic again to his own head.

Sonic looked hopelessly up at him, tears pooling at the brims of his eyelids. "Shadow…!"

…The translucent figures huddled close to one another. Their faces were revealed to be…

"Shadow, no!" Sonic cried, reaching desperately out to him…

The trigger was pulled: A successful shot burrowed its way through Shadow's skull, the turbulence forcing the corpse to collapse over to the side. Blood and cranial contents spewed onto the ground, terrifying Sonic to the point where he had ceased all function.

…Knuckles held Tails and Amy close to him, looking woefully down at Sonic's paralyzed form. Rouge stood with a clenched fist and glassy eyes…

"No… He…killed himself… Oh God…" Then Sonic relaxed. "He's…dead." He stood up and removed his jacket, standing over the corpse. He tossed the jacket onto the corpse's wounded head, covering its face…

Sonic had climbed the slope in the distance and headed for its edge. The group of translucent figures stepped aside: Tails looked up at Sonic hopefully; Knuckles smiled at Sonic; Amy watched Sonic pass her by, eyes dreamily glassy; Rouge looked over her shoulder to see that Sonic had stopped at the slope's edge.

Sonic's ragged shirt fluttered in the grainy breeze as his sights were locked on the ever-so-distant Earth. Tears were streaming down his face. He had not noticed his friends standing there with him; he could not have.

Sonic lightly closed his eyes. _My friends…you may not have been avenged, but your deaths were not in vain. I miss you guys…Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream. I hope you're all safe, and happy…_

His emerald eyes gleamed up towards the Earth as he coughed up more blood. His vision was beginning to blur, so one final thought faded into his darkening mind.

_My motherland…Planet Hope._


End file.
